Motion-picture-projecting machine.



. N. POWER.

MOTION PICTURE PROJECTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 24, 1913- Patented Feb. 5, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

mm i 3 VH 5 1.52 .3231 44% P2323? POWER." MOTION PI'CTUR E PBOJECTING MACHINE.

Patented Eb. 5, 1918.

2 SHEETSLSHEEI 2.

81 61 C to M41243 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. 1

NICHOLAS POWER, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO NICHOLAS POWER COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

MOTION-PICTURE-PROJECTING MACHINE.

. Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Fens, 1918.

Application filed November 24, 1913. Serial No. 802,607.

' citizen of the United States, and a resident of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Motion- Picture-Projecting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to motion picture projecting machines of the type disclosed in my copending application #750,530, filed Feby. 25, 1913, on protective devices for moving picture machines, in which the projecting mechanism is completely inclosed in a protective casing mounted between the upper andlower magazines of the film reels. The construction is so designed that the mav chine cannot be operated until the doors of the magazines and also the protective casing have been properly closed and locked. My present invention has for its object'to provide a modification of my prior machine in which the doors of the magazines and the casing are all connected together so as to be simultaneously opened and closed and held closedby a single lock.

A further object of the invention is to provide a construction of this character in which the parts are readily assembled and may be easily connected and disconnected for repair or replacement of the magazines.

In the accompanying drawings wherein I have illustrated my invention,

Figure 1 shows in side elevation m'y improved arrangement of the doors and locking mechanism;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view about on the line of the lower hin 'e of the machine showing the driving shaft and the connections; v Fig. 3 is a plan view of the machine with the upper magazine removed.

Figs. 4 and 5 are detail views, partially in section of a. portion of the machine.

Referring now to. the drawings 1 represents the base plate of the machine upon which is mounted a casing 2 which contains the projecting mechanism, not shown, but which may be of any preferred form. On top of the casing 2 there is fixedly mounted the magazine 3 for containing the reel. of film to be fed through the projecting mechanism, and suspended from the base plate is the lower magazine 4 for receivin -the reel onto which the film is wound a ter passing through the machine. The base plate 1 not shown, but" is supported by a frame, which extends behind the lower magazine and rests on a suitable stand 5 beneath the lower magazine.

The magazines are each provided with one hinged side wall 6 whereby they may be opened for receiving the-film reels. The casing 2 is also provided on the same side with a hinged door 7 to permit access to the projecting mechanism. The hinge mechanism of the door 7 comprises hinge straps 8 fastened to the door'and projecting beyond the edge of the door to a position substantially in line with the corner of the magazines. Fixedly mounted in the projecting ends of the hinge straps is a vertical rod 9 which is rotatably mounted in bearings at the end of the brackets 10 attached to the rear face of the casing 22. The hinges of the magazines also comprise rods 11 fixedly attached to the doorsand turning in the bearings attachedto the magazine walls. The rod 9 is squared at each end as shown, and is adapt-- ed to fit in sockets on the adjacent ends of the rods of the magazine hinges whereby the three doors will be operated in unison upon the operation of one of them.

The socket on the lower end of the upper magazine hinge may be fastened to its hinge rod, as the upper magazine is easily removable bv lifting it off the top of the machine. The socket of the lower hinged rod however, may be slidable on the hinge rod and held in place by a suitable set screw 12 so that it may be dropped away from the end of the rod 9 when it is desired to remove the magazine.

As the three doors are movable as one a single locking mechanism is all that is necessary to maintain the entire machine closed and locked, and I preferably apply this mechanism to the door 7 of the casing. This lock may be of any preferred construction" and as shown it comprises the knob 15 located in the center of the door and having on the inside of the door a cam plate provided with opposite spiral cam slots 16 which engage pins on the ends of the latch bars 17, and 18, slidably mounted on the inner face of the door and adapted to be proarid.

j ected by the operation of the knob into suit able receiving sockets in the top and bottom walls of the casing. 1

For preventing the operation of the machine except when the doors of the casing and magazines are properly locked, I provide a mechanism shown in Fig. 1%. As here shown 19 indicates a shaft of the driving mechanism of the machine which is mounted in the gear box 20 formed in the lower part of the casing. The shaft 19 is driven from any suitable source, not shown, and fastened to the shaft is a disk 21 having a clutch pin 22 on its face. Adjacent the disk, a gear from which the machine parts are driven is loosely mounted on a shaft and provided with a clutch pin 23 for engage-- ment with the clutch pin of the disk. The clutch is controlled in the usual manner by a sliding sleeve 24 provided with a fork 25 having in its free end a rod 26 which projects through the wall of the gear box into the casing to a point adjacent the latch bar 17. A spring 27 is provided to shift the rod to the left as shown in Fig. 3 to .disengage the clutch, and the latch bar 17 is provided with a cam projection 28 which on the downward movement of the latch bar engages the end of the rod to shift the clutch into engagement.

The operation of the machine will be obvious from the above description. After the operator has .placed the reels in position in their respective magazines, and has properly threaded the machine, he has merely to close and latch the single door in order to have his entire machine closed and protected against damage or liability to fire, and unless he does so close the machine it cannot be operated to effect the projection of a picture.

In Figs. 4; and 5 I have-illustrated a preferred modification of my invention in which the mechanism is somewhat simplified. In this construction instead of controlling the driving clutch by the locking mechanism, I provide an auxiliary shutter adapted to positively cutoff the light from the film except when the casing and magazines are properly closed and locked. As here shown the 'referencenumeral 30 indicates the aperture through which the light from the projecting lantern passes into the casmg. This aperture is cut through a countersunk portion of the rear wall of the casing and is provided in the usual manner with the hinged fire shield 31 controlled by mechanism not shown to close the aperture when the machine is not in operation. On the inner face of the rear wall the auxiliary safety shutter 32 is pivoted at one side of the aperture so as-to drop by the weighted arm 33 into position to cover the aperture, as shown in Fig. 5, in which position it is supported by the stop pin 34:. A pin 35 is set in the arm of the shutter on the opposite side of its pivot, and mounted on the inner face of-the door 7 of the casing 13 a pivoted bar 36 having one end connected to the end plate of the knob 15 and its other end adapted to extend over the pin 35 when the door is closed.

When the knob is turned to lock the door in the manner described the free end of the bar 36 will be depressed, thereby turning the shutter-on its pivot to uncover the projection aperture. As soon as the knob is turned in the opposite direction to release the latch prior to opening the casing, the freeend of the bar is raised and the weighted arm of the shutter causes it to drop immediately into position to cover the aperture.

In this construction the clutch mechanism may be omitted but in some instances it may be desirable to use both clutch mechanism and the safety shutter, so that should one or the other become inoperative the machine will nevertheless be protected from the dangers of fire.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a motion picture projecting machine, the combination of a projecting mechanism having a casing adapted to be closed, said casing having a latching mechanism, magazines for the film also provided with doors and connections between the casing and the magazine doors whereby the said casing and doors may be closed and opened as a unit, means for normally preventing the operation of the machine, and means operated by the latching mechanism when op erated to latch the casing for enabling the machine to be operated.

2. In a motion picture machine the combination of a projecting mechanism having an inclosing casing, an upper magazine for the film of larger dimensions than the casing of the mechanism, said magazine being detachably supported by the mechanism, a lower magazine of larger dimensions than the mechanism suspended from the mechanism,- said casing and said magazines having hinged doors on one side thereof with the axes of movement of the doors in the same vertical line and detachable connections in said doors whereby they may be opened and closed as a unit.

3. In a motion picture projecting machine, the combination of a projecting mechanism having a casing, a hinged door forming one side of the casing, magazines for the film mounted above and below said casing and having their end Walls projecting beyond the corresponding wall of said casing, said magazines having hinged doors forming the side walls thereof on the same side as the hinged wall of said casing, the hinge of the door of said casing comprising straps Laaaaae attached to said door and extending to a point in line with the hinges of said magazine doors and a rod mounted in said straps and detachably connected to the hinge rods of said magazine doors.

ii:- In a motion picture projecting machine, the combination of a projecting mechanism, a casing therefor having a stationary part and a part adapted to be opened and closed, a shutter for cutting ofi the light from the film mounted on the stationary part, and means for moving the shutter out of the path of light, said means being rendered operatable by the closing of the casing.

In a motion picture projecting machine, the combination of a casing adapted to be opened and closed, means for locking the casing, a shutter normally in position to out off the light from the film, and means actuated by the locking means in its locking movement for shifting the shutter out of the path of light.

6. In a motion picture projecting machine, the combination of a projecting mechanism having a casing, said casing having a door, magazines for the film also provided with a door. means for latching said doors, a shutter adapted to normally out off the light from the film, and means operated by said latching means upon the latching of said doors for shifting said shutter out of the path of light.

7. In a motion picture projecting machine, the combination with the projecting mecha- 8. In a motion picture projecting machine the combination with the projecting mechanism of a casing having a door on one side with its hinge adjacent the front Wall of the machine, said door having a latch, a shutter carried by the machine for closing the aperture, and means carried by said door and operatable by said latch to open the shutter only when the door is closed.

9. In a motion picture pro ecting machine, the combination of a pro ecting mechanism, a casing therefor adapted to open from the film and means carried by a movable part of the casing for shifting said and close, a shutter for cutting ofl the light 7 shutter out of the path of light, said means being brought into operative position by the closing of the casing.

Signed at New York in the county of N ewYork and State of New York this 18th day of November, 1913.

I NICHOLAS POIVER.

Witnesses:

J. S. STERRETT, EDWARD EARL. 

